Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
+ `3 [' k0 Z9 G- t/ m7 g> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
9 G6 Z7 N1 w6 d9 f1 i> natural order of things in my son?'
: F# W: P. K) M6 d* y& g) v>
# r9 C- z! V! X3 |* v9 K> The audience was stilled by the query.
/ t, n) J9 l1 \" O1 o>
! b5 X  S5 U+ R+ r  G: }8 p- h2 S& \, c> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
. a$ S5 p* _/ ]( T2 U> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
* P0 c$ o3 N0 U( G5 K$ d3 K! p> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
( @" z  E& O  J& [. m, q> treat that child.'
$ s* ~. |# N8 r8 Q>
# I  S5 Y' _: _2 |> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
, H6 X; X& t; h2 d- o( z> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
' }+ m2 m( [' L- i% \# s; q> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
& M, c7 l" B& _0 n, |> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
# `. O) `7 B3 ~7 g, I. {# L> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
& u6 V8 R- M/ h' [7 \> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
" ?1 B2 ?3 w- C, H5 w> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
1 w1 a) r( ?, P1 @2 \> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
2 h/ X" A* K+ C2 ]4 {* }> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
( E& a. z# h+ i. K& D! `# Z2 K9 ?. F7 F> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
8 I: t" a1 n" y* C( M1 a7 ?% n> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
3 D9 k8 m! g+ R> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
, l6 p) r8 ^$ I2 c8 h; b> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
7 ~1 u/ S( g0 B. x2 u6 ?> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
1 i- m& R9 v) b/ a( _4 A- D5 H> next at bat.
1 f0 [5 K5 T% m* |0 \( j7 @>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
2 [% D9 t, Z( u1 z# Q/ a> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
, D! D4 [* I; a- d$ v> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
4 g% e+ C7 j4 q8 U* v% h2 q> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
7 ?, G1 S& b& W5 G> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
* ^, U% }! t& Z2 j. \> right back to the pitcher.
>
6 L* v  c9 [5 I  d> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
. h; t7 t' X1 y( p1 ?- M> out and that would have been the end of the game.
4 p2 O  c1 y, b1 C>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
: `' H  L* i& {4 M2 `0 [> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
. k& i% `8 H; u* e> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
. B8 y8 y4 x4 K- x2 i2 V> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
( I; g0 l+ ^  T8 R, u# J) L5 s> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
5 k: B- r2 Q& @8 T) I/ t" R> circled the bases toward home.
>
) M8 D: K/ P1 o4 \. P5 A3 [- k2 E> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
3 [) P& }( }0 m; {9 W* g> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
0 g3 i& p  Z5 L4 ]# E+ d! l  e7 |> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
4 a9 i0 Q+ _9 u8 X, w; v> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
4 M- r. K; A1 R! d> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
/ N' X/ A4 C) v6 L, e- t* w> into this world'.
0 v$ G' f0 [6 u/ ^+ `2 J# f8 U5 E>
% V- g9 X2 Y$ H+ n3 ^0 @  U> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
1 s' U6 B+ a5 ^% m& G$ K. G  C>
& \/ O' n: |- c9 _9 _. i$ Q! a: O> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
2 g2 A2 @$ c$ s/ C- h7 P> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
6 x& z% l9 k* b> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
6 J, F8 P% X) D+ d> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
4 ~4 K. X7 L8 {/ J* J: F3 D3 j> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
; X8 |6 P5 @" R3 G$ e> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
, i! \; a9 ]. C# Z> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
3 T6 H. L8 Z1 r7 ]/ k& @> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
& {$ K/ s- o, H, A> A wise man once said every society is judged by
; m: n- Q# Z. X# ^% {' e& f, C> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
9 w+ v4 |' q1 {> 1. Delete
7 Y5 O: a9 V/ H> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.